THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a recliner mechanism for a vehicle seat adapted to enable the vehicle seat to adopt a number of predetermined relative positions. Recliner mechanisms of this type have been proposed before, but such recliner mechanisms have been relatively expensive to manufacture and/or complicated.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved recliner mechanism.
According to this invention there is provided a recliner mechanism for a vehicle seat, the recliner mechanism comprising a support structure adapted to be connected to the squab of the seat, the support structure pivotally supporting a mounting arm adapted to be connected to the back of the seat so that the back of the seat may move pivotally about a pivot axis relative to the squab of the seat, the mounting arm having means spaced from the pivot axis engaging a link, the link engaging a pin, the pin passing through a slot formed in the support structure and passing through a substantially diametrically extending slot formed in a drive wheel mounted for rotation relative to, the support structure, the slot in the support structure being located and configured to intersect the slot on the drive wheel at a plurality of rotational positions thereof, the drive wheel being provided with catch means adapted to retain the drive wheel in predetermined selected positions.
Preferably the support structure comprises two support plates of equivalent configuration which are mounted in position with the drive wheel there between, each plate defining a respective co-aligned slot, the pin passing through said co-aligned slots there being two link arms, each, link arm engaging a respective end of the pin and engaging a respective trunnion provided on the mounting arm.
Advantageously the catch means to retain the drive wheel in selected positions comprises a resiliently biased catch adapted to engage a selected recess provided in the periphery of the wheel at each said position.
Preferably the slot in the support structure is of xe2x80x9ctickxe2x80x9d configuration having a portion extending substantially tangentially to the periphery of the said wheel.
Conveniently when the seat is in a first or maximally reclined position, the said connecting pin is located at one end of the slot, and when the seat is in another, fully forward position, the pin is at another end of the said slot.
Advantageously resilient means are provided to bias the arm supporting the back-rest pivotally forwardly.